Developing Low-cost Air Quality Sensor Protocols to Inform Environmental Sustainability and Risks to Collections

FAIN: PR-303731-25

University of Delaware (Newark, DE 19711-3651)
Liora Mael (Project Director: May 2024 to present)
Peter DeCarlo (Co Project Director: July 2025 to present)

A Tier I project to develop and implement a protocol to integrate low-cost air quality monitoring into environmental monitoring practices that small and medium-sized cultural heritage organizations can use to inform HVAC operations and environmental sustainability goals.

This project is designed as a case study across two institutions, Winterthur Museum & Library and the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), to lay the groundwork for the integration of low-cost air quality sensors into current environmental monitoring practices. This will help develop data driven strategies to reduce demands on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems while maintaining safe environments for cultural heritage across a wide array of institutions.